The Cultural Industry between Authentic Art and Kitsch in Theodor Adorno: A Critical Study

Authors

  • Karima Messaoudi , Dr. Omar Zaoui

Keywords:

Theodor Adorno; the cultural industry; authentic art; kitsch; instrumental reason; enlightenment; media; aesthetics.

Abstract

This research paper seeks to analyseTheodor Adorno’s position on the culturalindustry that arose from instrumental reason,which transformed human beings, art, andcultureintocalculativeandutilitarianoperations. Adorno’s focus was on the effect ofthe cultural industry in transforming art from an aesthetic value into a commercial process

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References

- Dialectic of Enlightenment, Max Horkheimer and Adorno, edited by Guzelin Schmid Noerr, translated by Edmund Jephcott

(2002), California.

- Gilles Parrault, Caroline Andréani et al. (1998), Le livre noir du capitalisme, Le Temps des Cerises, Pantin (France).

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Published

2026-05-22

How to Cite

Karima Messaoudi , Dr. Omar Zaoui. (2026). The Cultural Industry between Authentic Art and Kitsch in Theodor Adorno: A Critical Study . Pegem Journal of Education and Instruction, 16(2), 127–144. Retrieved from https://www.pegegog.net/index.php/pegegog/article/view/5084

Issue

Vol. 16 No. 2 (2026): PEGEGOG

Section

Article

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